Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

hi everyone

lost another 2 one last night and one today.
so the fountain pump thing didnt work like the lady said it would, when we explaned what was happening.

started with 20 now down to 4 or 5.
To say I am getting a bit disheartened is an under statement, I am about ready to fill the pond back in.
we got an airstone but I didn't relise that we need ANOTHER pump thing to run this as well.
I am getting a little fed up with buying more and more stuff just to find out its not working.

so tomorrow I am off to buy another pump but and air one this time.

can anyone recomend a good one that will do a 2000lt pond or even better one that will do all the bits we need in one hit.

sorry as I said feeling a bit down about it all.
Steve flew back tonight for work so I have to work it out now before we loose all our fish.

Tania

Sorry to hear your having a tough trott ATM
but once you have it right you wont look back

welcome to Aquaponics.......its a bottomless pit until you figure out the basic variables..all these people contributing will help you in some form in there scripture and threads

Well killing less than 20 fish is not a huge deal....its part of the learning, and one of the main reasons why you should not get fish before a system is established. Having a fish kill now, rather than when you have 200 fish is much better.

Anyway, a twin or quad outlet air pump will aerate your fish tank quite well. If all your fish do die, just run the system on seasol and urea for a few weeks, and let it settle in, sort out all the problems - THEN add goldfish. If these survive, add eating fish.

thanks for that info outbackozzie, can you tell me do the quad outlet air pump need to be 3000lph like the normal pumps as I can only find them up to about 750lt unless they go to the very high priced pumps.

I am thinking the 750lt will be ok as its not the main pump but wanted to check before I got one and i didn't work.

will pick one up tomorrow.

I would pick up a ac/dc air pump like this http://cgi.ebay.com.au/AC-DC-Battery-Au ... 9001r18791
BYAP has similar at the shop.If the power goes out the batteries will keep it running for a while

+1.... In fact they look exactly like the ones at the BYAP shop, which come with a good length of tubing, check valve and two airstones...

I use them in every tank I have, regardless of any aeration from the growbed return... as Lungy says... if a pump fails, or the power goes out...

At least you've got some battery powered oxygenation going for as long as the batteries last... usually long enough...

Yep, BYAP shop has them. They do the job for a small system.

How is it going over there?

well I went and got that air pump from BYAP, and also a full on water tester thingy..LOL

water is all fine, and we have only lost 2 more fish, but I think that was because it didn't have the pump working for that long yet but been almost 36 hours since and no more dead fish. Fingers crossed.

Just to give you all a laugh....... after getting the air pump I got it up and running, but didn't put the back up batteries in as had to much to do that day. Anyway I was thinking it will be fine as we hardly have any power cuts here, well as you can guess 1am last night the power goes out and I wake up thinking ohhhh crap the fish, so I ring western power to see how long it will be out, well the nice message saids it will be out till 5am, so I grab some batteries and go out side in my PJ's at 1am in the dark with only my mobile for light trying to get the pump open to put batteries in it to save my little fish.

After 5mins trying to work out how to open the thing (not easy in the dark with one hand) I find that it takes big batteries not the ones I have, So the fish had to fend for them self, but in the morning when I got up and checked them the power was back on and all was well.

So we have 4 left from out starting point of 20 but we have learnt a lot for the next lot.
One of them is getting a good size about double what he started out as.
We have not lost any seedlings to date so that is good.

Have a few friends that are interested in getting a AP system soon now as well.

Tania

the addition grows
If your going to have one it may as well be good for you
Glad to see you made it through

Ha, I can imagine doing that!
about 2 weeks ago after being at work I got home and tested my water one night, at about 10pm and the ammonia was a bit high so was up till 12 doing a water change! (have since simplified that procedure!)
Oh well I hope it all settles down for you guys.
Do you have Perch?
Where did you get em?

The million dollar question at the moment

Mid Jan at this stage.

Will it be too late to fatten them up for winter?